Through the Worlds
by CatKkit
Summary: A group of school friends are shot into the galaxy to try and find their teacher. There will be happiness and horror, joy and sorrow. Will they all make it through their incredible journey? Their friendships will be tested.
1. Chapter 1

**Alright! Here is Chapter 1.**

**This has been re-done and re-posted, mainly because I got like 3 new OCs that I had to add.**

**I didn't even mean to publish it in the first place.**

**I don't own anything... I think?**

**It's kinda short, but I hope you like it.**

**PLEASE TELL ME ABOUT ANY SPELLING/GRAMMAR/PUNCTUATION/ETC ERRORS.**

**:)**

* * *

It was a bright, sunny morning on Kovomaka. Inside dorm room number 8 slept three female mages. They are renowned throughout the school for their beauty and strength. And their very different personalities...

Arsenic woke up to the smell of pancakes and bacon. She immediately sat up. "Bacon!" she exclaimed happily. "This must be my lucky day!"

She hopped out of bed and began to pull on her black dress. She saw a flash of blue and purple as her roommate glided past the door.

"Liquorish! What's with all the food? Is it someone's birthday?" she asked excitedly as she forced a comb through her dark brown hair, quickly fixing a daisy garland into it.

"Well, looks like someone's in a good mood," Liquorish said.

"What's with the bacon?" Arsenic demanded for a second time. "I must know why the heavenly crispy food is currently cooking in my kitchen."

"It's Monday, so Peppa decided to cook bacon in order to get you out of bed," Liquorish said. Suddenly, she sneezed loudly. It was allergy season, which practically killed Liquorish every year. It kept her up all night, unable to breathe, and gave her horrible circles under her eyes. She absolutely hated them, but it made her more terrifying and some said more beautiful. Her short stature and curvy body made her incredibly popular among all the boys, along with her incredible fashion taste. She was covered in scars and strange tattoo's, which made her a legend among the younger students, who told stories of all her incredible fights. Everyone in school knew her.

"Oh crap? Is it Monday already?" she asked, depressed.

"Yeah, it's Monday" Liquorish said, nodding.

Arsenic sighed as she lace up her shoes. "At least we get to learn more. Oh, can I do your hair? Huh? Huh? Can I? PLEASE?" she asked, bouncing around her friend.

"Of course you can." Liquorish said with a smile.

If anyone but Arsenic had asked, it would have been a big fat no, but Liquorish saw the hyper-active girl like a younger sister that she had always wanted. The same went for all of the other kids, too, especially Hex, Maize, and Gelato.

Arsenic also reminded her of her grandmother who had vanished long ago. They both possessed such happy and carefree spirits.

Liquorish sighed at the memory, but was brought back to the present as Arsenic began to brush her long black hair back into two high pig-tails, carefully avoiding the three studs in Liquorish's ears. She expertly twisted the hair-ties into the pigtails, securing them in place.

"There we go," Arsenic said with a happy clap.

"Thanks, now let's go eat some of that delicious heavenly bacon," Liquorish said as she began to move through their dorm.

She entered the small kitchen and was greeted by the odd sight of a heavily armed girl making food in their kitchen.

It was Peppa, the exchange student from the other side of Kovomaka. Apparently she was a knight for the royal family there and, after they discovered that she was a fire wizard, they sent her to Willow O'Wisp Academy to hone her skills. She always wore her silver armor and took her claymore with her everywhere. She even slept with it under her pillow, which was a little strange. She was breathtakingly beautiful, just like her roommates, with her long wavy hair, which was an odd shade of ashy gray. She was short but strong, like Liquorish, and had the tendency to set stuff on fire.

"Sit and eat your food," Peppa ordered as she placed a steaming plate of bacon and pancakes in front of them.

"And if I don't?" Liquorish asked, taking a seat on a stool anyway.

"Then I will make you," she said curtly as she clanked around in her armor. It was incredibly noisy.

The clock above the stove suddenly chimed, signaling the time as nine o'clock.

"OH CRAP! Class starts in 10 minutes!" Peppa shouted, throwing the pan that she was holding through the air.

Immediately, the three girls began to shovel bacon into their mouths. They quickly ran to the bathroom and brushed their teeth, grabbed their bags and took off out the door.

Arsenic tripped as she stepped into the hall, only to be caught by an unseen person.

"Whoa there, Arsenic. You nearly knocked me off the railing again." Arsenic looked up to see her best friend quickly straightened up.

Hyde was the adopted son of Principle Biscotti. He was an incredibly attractive blonde boy, who always seemed to around when Arsenic made a fool of herself. He never teased her about it, had seen Arsenic get upset once, and the guy ended up with a broken leg and four broken ribs, courteously of Peppa and Liquorish. Those 2 girls were over-protective to say the least.

"Hey there Hyde," Arsenic said awkwardly. "When did you get there?" she asked.

"I was waiting for you three, like I always do, every morning before class" he said with a grin. "It isn't as creepy as it sounds," he said, noticing the odd looks that Peppa and Liquorish were giving him.

"Alright then, enough chitchat. Lets get moving," Peppa decided, leading the way with Liquorish across the narrow hallway and down the stairs to the ground floor, with Arsenic and Hyde walking behind them, holding hands. Everyone parted for the four of them like the Red Sea. They were the popular group, as they should be, but they were also very exclusive, so no one could ever get into their group. They quickly arrived at Ms. Madeline's classroom and took their seats.

"Hey guys," a male voice came from behind. The small group turned to see a tall feline standing behind them. The feline smiled to reveal a sharp grin. He wore yellow tunic and grey leggings, with a grey belt.

"Hello ladies," another voice purred from the opposite side. They turned to see another cat that looked the exact same as the other cat, except for his clothes. Instead, of yellow and gray, he wore a green and black clothes, consisting of baggy shorts, a belt, and an open black vest.

They were the twin felines, Maize and Flax, who were almost exact opposites, despite their identical looks. Flax was a foul-mouthed, manipulative flirt who often bumped heads with Peppa. Flax was kind and gentle, loving all animals, never hurting anything. They were both loved, one for his drop dead looks, and the other for his absolute lovableness. They were thick as thieves, literally. They could steal anything, especially Flax, which made up for his less-than-impressive use of wind magic, while his brother excelled with wind magic.

"Flax, sit down. Ms. Madeline will be here any moment," Peppa ordered, looking distastefully at the boy.

"No, she won't," Flax retorted. "She's always late!"

"Sit!" Liquorish commanded, giving the boys her famous 'death glare'. The twin's will crumbled against Liquorish's and they took their seats. Peppa and Liquorish shared an evil grin.

"I'm not late!" a voice shouted.

In skidded Gelato, a pale, barefoot boy with auburn hair. He had a tight sleeveless black shirt, with a slit in it held together with blue string. He had white pants on and a long, light blue cloak. On his was a white snowflake tattoo.

He was roommates with Hyde, Flax, and Maize, but he seemed closest to Rish, who was like his older sister. The roommates were an odd quartet, though. A light mage, 2 wind mages, and a water mage. They made it work, though. Despite the large groups reputation as being the most popular, they were all truly good friends, loving one another for their hearts, not their faces.

"Technically you are, but since Ms. Madeline isn't-," Hyde began to argue.

Arsenic cut him off by shouting, "Ms. Madeline is coming!"

The students all dove from their various perches to their chairs. When Ms. Madeline burst through the door, she saw her students sitting their angelically.

"Well, I'm glad to see that none of you are causing any trouble," she said, beaming around the room.

No one said anything, so she continued, "Since you were all waiting for me so nicely, I have decided to move your test on the Theory of Monster Behavior from this Friday to the Friday three weeks from now." This was meet by a large cheer of approval.

Ms. Madeline smiled, appearing happy. Inside her heart, though, she was sad. That would be one test that she would never grade.

* * *

**Thanks for reading!**

**I know that it's short, but I need more OC's, and those are the only seven that I've received so far.**

**I already have 2 female dark mages, one female fire mage, and one male light mage, 2 male wind mages, and one male water mage.**

**I still need an Earth and Forest mage.**

**I need at least one of each element before I can write much further.**

**Remember, you don't need to have an account to submit an OC, and you can submit 2 OCs per person.**

**Please review and tell me what you think!**

**Thanks,**

**~CatKkit.**


	2. Chapter 2

**This is chapter 2. Or 3.**

**Or something.**

**Enjoy it!**

* * *

After class, the group headed up to the boy's dorm for lunch.

"Hey, is Hex back yet?" Arsenic asked as they climbed the stairs.

Hex was a 10 year old who had been discovered a little over one month ago. The little cat was completely silver; silver cloak, jeans, shirt, eyes, and fur, except for the mysterious black hieroglyphs that covered his chest, arms and forehead. He had absolutely no memory, except for his name, Hex, and another name, Nexus.

"No, he's still with the Principle," Hyde replied. Biscotti was exposing Hex to different types of magic in the attempt to uncover his memories. So far, nothing had worked.

They arrived outside of the dorm, and Peppa pushed heavy oak door open and entered the surprisingly tidy dorm. It belonged to Hyde, Gelato, Flax, and Maize, with the new addition of little Hex.

"Not bad," Liquorish noted, casting her eyes around the room. It was true. One could actually see the thin blue carpet.

"We decided to clean so you wouldn't have a girly panic attack," Maize said cheerfully.

"That's very thoughtful of you guys," Arsenic replied.

"Will Tech and Macchiato be joining us?" Peppa asked cautiously, as if worried that the two boys would jump out from nowhere.

"I don't know Peppa, why don't you check?" Flax said, smirking. She began to protest, but everyone began to nod in agreement as if was a grand idea.

"Fine," she said, gritting her teeth.

She turned out the door and walked towards a door. She opened it to reveal a long, steep staircase. She absolutely hated coming down here, and it was just to get Macchaito and Tech.

She could stand Macchiato, a tall, tan boy with a single, black eye. His right one had been replaced by an android eye. The same went for both of his legs, his left arm, and his internal organs. He always wore armor that made him appear like a full android. He never took it off unless he was around people he could trust. Peppa could relate to that.

Tech, however, was another story. His real name was Thomas Edward Collin Hughs. He had shaggy brown hair with an odd touch of grey. He always wore the same thing, a black t-shirt, baggy blue pants, a tool belt, and combat boots. He seemed to love getting under Peppa's skin. Tech was an android like Macchiato, but only his right arm was false. This, along with their similar use of earth magic and tendency to fight more physically than with magic made the two of them close as brothers. Tech, being an engineering genius, kept the two of them running smoothly.

Peppa was jolted out of her thoughts as she hit the bottom step. In front of her was a metal door with rivets on it. It was were Tech and Macchiato lived, or at least slept. She took a deep breath to collect her thoughts and reached towards the handle.

The second her hand touched the doorknob, it flew open, causing her to scream and throw out her fist. She let of a sharp cry of pain as it slammed into something metal.

"What the hell Tech?" she asked in frustration, clutching her arm.

"Hey, you punched me first," he said, holding up his hands. He looked over his metal arm. "Not a scratch," he said, grinning.

"That's nice. We're all eating upstairs in Hyde's dorm if you would like to join us," she growled.

"Hello Peppa," Macchiato said, looking up from a piece of machinery he was working on.

"Hey Macchiato! How's it going?" she asked pleasantly, perking up at the sight of the nicer boy.

"Oh, I see how it is," Tech said angrily, cutting of Macchiato's answer. "Go tell them that we'll be up in a minute," he snapped, slamming the door in a very confused Peppa's face. She turned and headed back upstairs, bewildered by what had just happened.

"Hey Peppa, are they coming?" Gelato asked as he propped his feet on the coffee table.

"Yeah, they'll be here in a few minutes," she replied, taking a seat on one of the stools. She noticed that Mint, a 14 year old girl with long, pale green hair back in a braid, had joined them. Mint's red eyes sparked with happiness as her closest friend Peppa sat next to her, carefully avoiding Mint's precious staff.

"Let's just start without them," Mint said, opening a box of bacon.

"Peppa made the bacon this morning," Arsenic exclaimed happily.

"It's probably poisoned then," Tech said, entering the room.

"Shut up," Peppa said crossly, munching on her crunchy strip of meat.

"I honestly don't care if it's poisoned. At least I'll die happy," Hyde declared. Everyone else murmured in agreement.

They happily munched on their food, Arsenic snuggling with Hyde, Liquorish chatting with Gelato and Macchiato, Flax and Tech arguing with Peppa, Maize and Mint chatting, holding hands. The children's world seemed perfect.

If only they knew how quickly their world would fall apart.

* * *

**Chapter done!**

**Sorry that it took so long.**

**I'm trying to write my other OC story and finish it up so I can focus on this one.**

**I am also going to go off the plot of Magical Starsign. **

**It will be kinda the same, with Madeline disappearing, Chard, Kale, etc, but their adventure will be tons different to accommodate the histories of the OCs.**

**Still accepting OCs, but they might become villains.**

**Thanks**

**~CatKkit.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm back!**

**I'm currently finishing up my other story, which is why I haven't been doing this one, but now I've decided that you all have defiantly waited long enough.**

**It'll be slow, though.**

**And now...**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Tech was walking up the deserted corridor with Peppa, Hex, and Flax, looking for their group of friends. Or at least they were, until Peppa made some comment about something, which Tech decided to argue with about, and then Flax joined in, just for the heck of it. Hex was just walking pleasantly, smiling at birds that fluttered past their window, unaware of the escalating argument about the best kind of glazed donuts.

"Hey guys! I've been looking for you," a female voice purred, interrupting the argument. It was Naoko the cat girl, who was better known as Kitt.

"We were looking for you, too!" Peppa said, eagerly cutting off her "discussion" with the boys. "What's up?" she asked.

"Mrs. Madeline was just called to the principal's office!" she exclaimed, her dark fur puffing up with excitement.

"Great! Biscotti is finally bring her up on all of her tardinesses," Tech said, high-fiving Flax.

"It's about time," Tech agreed.

"Let's go listen in on their discussion without their knowledge!" Kitt exclaimed.

"Yeah, because that isn't totally immoral or wrong in any sense," Peppa said. The group started to head towards the principal's office.

"I like donuts," Hex said absently, following after them.

...

"What did we miss?" Flax asked. "Did she get fired yet?"

"No! Shut up," Liquorish said, crowding by the door.

"I don't like listening in on them," Hyde said frowning.

"You can leave whenever you like," Tech offered. "Give your listening spot to someone else, like Gelato or Mint," he said.

"Shh! Guys, I can hear them talking!" Arsenic said, pressing her ear against the door. The others did the same, crowding and shoving one another.

...

"I suppose that you are wondering why I called you here this fine afternoon," Principle Biscotti said to Ms. Madeline. They were standing in the middle of his office, with bright beams of sunlight dazzling their eyes.

"You could say that," Madeline replied. "The last time that you called me to your office, the entire universe was nearly run over by some giant cosmic snail thing. I have the right to be just a tad bit curious, and just a little concerned" she said.

"Yes, yes. Of course. But this has nothing to do with giant cosmic snails," Biscotti said, walking over to his chair behind his desk. "Or at least, I don't think that there will be a cosmic snail this time."

"So what is the problem?" Madeline prompted.

"Another of the Protectors has been found dead," Biscotti murmured quietly, removing his tall purple top hat. The Protectors were an organization of powerful wizards, one to protect each of the planets. Madeline and Biscotti were both members.

"Who was it?" Madeline asked sharply, panic evident in her eyes long, purple eyes. Biscotti tried to speak, but his words were choked out by a sob. Madeline froze when she heard it.

"Tell me that it wasn't..." Madeline began, swallowing hard. "Was it Riza?"

Biscotti could only nod his head. Madeline felt her blood turn to ice.

"How the hell did they manage to kill her?" she asked, tears starting to run down her face.

Riza was the strongest of the Protectors by far, at least when it came to attack. She was known as "The Swan of Flames" because of her powerful fire magic, despite the fact that she was a gigantic, but very nice, fire-breathing dragon. She could destroy an entire planet if she wanted to without breaking a sweat, reducing it to a pile of ash just floating through space. It was impossible to think of her as dead.

"What happened to her?" Madeline asked, regaining her composure.

"You don't want to-," Biscotti began, but Madeline cut him off like a freight train.

"Don't tell me what I do and do not want," she said, her temper flaring. "Riza was my best friend. We went on hundreds of missions for the Protectors. She was practically my sister; now tell me what happened to her!" Madeline demanded.

Biscotti looked at her with empty eyes. "Please, Madeline. You don't want to know," he whispered, more tears dripping down his mushroom-shaped nose.

Madeline swallowed and nodded, hearing the seriousness in her friend's voice. "What are we going to do about it?" she asked.

"We need to find out who is doing this," Biscotti said. "Whoever it is has already killed the Protectors of Fire and Earth, and the Protector of Plants has not been seen in months, which brings a great level of concern."

"We need to check on her," Madeline said. "She isn't very strong. She's more of a strategy type of person, and wouldn't last very long in a fight," she said, voicing her concern for her friend.

"Yes, but do not forget that she isn't called "the Hidden Snake" for nothing. There is a very good chance that she is hiding out somewhere," Biscotti said. "But you do need to go check on him. You will travel to Gren in 2 weeks' time, when it's orbit is closest to ours, and search for her."

"Kale is behind this, I know that he is," Madeline growled angrily. "I will find her, and the Protectors of Water and Wind, and we will destroy that traitor," she vowed.

"We cannot jump to conclusions like that," Biscotti protested.

"It must have been him, or one of his colleges, like Puri, or Marshmallow, or even Siren, although no one even knows who or what she really is," Madeline said with fire in her eyes. "It could even be Nexus. I hope it's not him, but if it is, then it doesn't change a thing. I will destroy them all. They need to pay. Don't worry, Biscotti, for I will not fail," she said with conviction.

"Be careful. You cannot let anyone know that you are leaving. There could be a spy among us," Biscotti warned. He stared straight past Madeline's shoulder towards the door. "Or there could be spy's standing right outside the door," he said with a sigh.

Madeline moved like lightning, ripping the door off of the hinges. Outside stood Arsenic, Hyde, Hex, Liquorish, and all the other kids. Biscotti walked up to stand next to her.

"Take them into the training room and have a talk with them," Biscotti said gravely. "You kids are in a lot of trouble."

Mrs. Madeline turned and walked towards the before mentioned room. The kids followed, sensing their doom of detention and extra homework.

And it was only Tuesday.

* * *

**Chapter done!**

**I hoped that you liked it.**

**I certainly did.**

**Unfortunately for me, I have suffered from other-story-syndrome and severe lack of sleep, so this story will be slow going.**

**Not 2 months slow. More like once a week slow.**

**I am still accepting OC's.**

**I haven't read over any of the new ones yet, so I will have to do that soon.**

**Thanks for anyone who has stuck with this story!**

**Especially Tech's creator, who inspired me to continue this story.**

**Please point out any spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors.**

**And if anything is confusing, then shoot me a PM or a review.**

**I will do my best to answer your questions.**

**Thanks,**

**~CatKkit**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4!**

**Probably!**

**Yay!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Nexus yawned and got up, grumbling. He absolutely hated his stupid bed. And his room. And the hallway outside of his room. And all the rooms attached to that hallway. And pretty much everything else.

"Wake up!" a voice called. Nexus turned and saw a weird girl looking into his room. She had really long purple hair, and was wearing a long-sleeved purple shirt, a black and silver corset, and a black skirt. And, to complete this odd attire, she wore a mask over her face, which hid all of her features except for her coal-black eyes, which had little silver rings around the pupils.

"I'm awake, Yuki. Gosh!" Nexus muttered.

"Good! Kale is calling a meeting, and we need to be there now," Yuki said.

"Is that all, or do you want to watch me change?" Nexus asked tiredly, walking over to his wardrobe.

Yuki leaned against the door frame and studied him. "You are a cat, so it's not like it'd be that weird. But it's still something that I don't want to see."

"Then leave. And be careful what you lean against. One of the otters may have put gum on that door frame, and you don't want it getting tangled in your hair," Nexus said, causing Yuki to freeze, carefully remove herself from the door frame, and disappear down the hallway. The hallway that Nexus hated.

Nexus pulled open the closet doors and pulled out one of his few sets of identical clothing. It was all white, which matched most of his fur, except for the ruins that covered his hands, back, chest, and forehead. They all said "chaos". He quickly pulled on his white jeans, shirt, and cloak, before heading out into the hallway.

"Come on, let's go," a female voice said, from behind him. Nexus turned to see a cream-colored rabbit, with red hair pulled up into a bun, rush past him, her red eyes flashing with annoyance as Nexus accidentally blocked her way. She was wearing a very tight leotard, which showed off her cleavage. She also had long black gloves and thigh high black boots.

"Sorry Puri," Nexus muttered.

"That's fine, just get a move on," she ordered, pulling him along.

"I was going to wait for Marshmallow," Nexus said.

"Fine, then wait for him. Just make sure you aren't late," Puri said, releasing her grip on his arm and going on her way. Nexus made his way back towards Marshmallow's room, only to see the tall, silver-haired boy coming towards him.

"Hey Nexus!" Marsh said.

"Come on, Marsh! We need to get to the meeting!" Nexus said, pulling the boy along. Marsh covered his face with his red scarf, as he always did when he was embarrassed. That made his light blue eyes stand out even more.

"Alright, let's go-," the rest of what Marsh was saying was cut off as the wooden floor rolled beneath them.

"Damn it!" Nexus shouted as they both fell to the ground.

"It's okay Nexus. It's just a little turbulence," Marsh said. The movement quickly passed, allowing the two boys to stand up.

"I hate this stupid, flying pirate ship," Nexus shouted.

"It's fine. It's not like you have to steer it," Marsh said. "Now, where is the meeting taking place again?" he asked.

"In the Captain's quarters," Nexus said. They hurried there and pushed the doors open, entering the candle lit room.

"Finally, you all are here. Take a seat, quickly," Kale said. Marsh quickly took his place between Kale and Puri, and Nexus took his seat next to Yuki, who sat next to her brother.

"I am glad that you could all make it," Kale began. "And I, and Master Chard, know that we have been away for the past week, but we bring great news."

"What is it?" Marsh asked curiously.

"Well, we successfully eliminated another of the Protector," Kale said, resulting in cheering along the table.

"Who was it?" Nexus asked eagerly. Kale merely held up a necklace with a flame carved into it. It glowed like a hot ember.

"The Protector of Razen?" Yuki asked in awe. "The Swan of Flame?"

"Yes, that is the only one," Kale said.

"That's incredible," Puri said dreamily, batting her eyelashes at Kale.

"Indeed it is, and it was all Kale's idea," Master Chard said.

"I'm sure you helped him out, big brother," Yuki said, resulting in Chard ruffling her hair.

"Of course I did, but only a little. It was Kale who delivered the final blow," Chard said.

"Ah, but remember that it was only fair. After all, you got to kill the Protector of Earth," Kale reminded him. It had been a truly epic battle, Chard's dark magic against the mighty "Bear", the Protector of Erd. Chard had barely won, but that was his secret to keep.

"Yes, and it was quite an honor that you allowed me to do it," Chard said.

"I know," Kale replied. "But we have a problem. The Protector of Plants has hidden herself away, and we cannot find her. We are worried that she may warn the other Protectors."

"That's stupid," Nexus muttered.

"What?" Kale asked, with a dangerous edge in his voice.

"Well," Nexus began, struggling to hide his nervousness, "don't you think that the other Protectors may have noticed their brethren's disappearances? I mean, they have known each other for centuries."

"The boy has a point," Chard said.

"Indeed, he does," Kale said. "I will not punish you, this time."

"Thank you," Nexus said meekly.

"Well, assuming that the Protectors know what is happening, they will send out a team to check on the other Protectors. After all, they cannot simply just leave their own planets like you can, Kale," Puri said.

"Yes, but where will they get the team from?" Yuki asked.

"Probably from Will-o-Wisp Academy on Kovomaka," Chard suggested.

"Yes, but what should we do about it?" Puri asked.

Marsh, who had remained silent for this time, decided to speak. "Why don't we just go and attack them? All that we'd need to do is destroy any way off of the planet, and then we should be fine for at least a month."

Kale looked appreciatingly at his apprentice. "That's a fine plan."

"Indeed. I don't see anything that could go wrong. The news of the Swan's death will hit the Protectors hard, and they will probably have to wait a while before they can send out the team," Chard muttered approvingly. "Not bad, Marsh."

"Well, what are we waiting for then?" Puri asked.

"Absolutely nothing. Yuki, go and tell the captain to set a course for Kovomaka," Chard ordered.

"Of course, brother," Yuki said, dashing out of the room. Everyone else sat there in silence, trying to see any of the flaws in the plan. Yuki skidded back into the room, out of breath.

"The captain said," Yuki gasped, breathing like a dying fish. "The captain said that we would arrive in less than a day, and that, in order to destroy all the ships there, we would have to exhaust all of our ammunition."

"That's fine," Kale said. "It's not like we will be receiving a counter attack."

* * *

**Chapter done!**

**I hope you all like it.**

**Point out my mistakes!**

**And I took down the OC form so I don't get busted for writing an OC story.**

**Thanks,**

**~CatKkit.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Yay!**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

Madeline led the way into an empty classroom. All the kids followed her in.

"I am assuming that you heard everything," she said, her back to the children, who were sitting in and on desks.

"Yeah," Peppa said, answering for the group from a front desk.

"Do you know how much trouble you all are in?" Madeline asked. She had a tone of seriousness that scared everyone into silence. She turned to face them, her round, purple eyes narrowed with anger.

"We're sorry," Hex whimpered, hiding behind Liquorish.

Madeline looked at them with incredible anger. They all expected her to explode and try to kill all of them. Instead, she sighed and leaned against the blackboard behind her.

"Ms. Madeline?" Arsenic asked worriedly. "Are you alright?" Ms. Madeline seemed to awaken at the sound of her student's voice. She straightened up and began to speak to them quickly.

"As you overheard, the Protectors of Fire and Earth have been killed, and the Protector of Plants has gone missing," Madeline said. "That leaves the Protector of Water, and the Protector of Wind left."

"What about Light and Dark? Don't they have protectors too?" Hyde asked.

"Of course," Madeline said. She smiled. "I am the Protector of Light, and the Protector of Dark is the one behind all of this."

"Who's the Protector of Dark?" Kitt asked curiously.

"Kale," Madeline said, her words brimming with hatred and regret. "He was a pupil of mine, and a good one at that. He graduated and became...evil, to say the least."

"Okay, so why are you telling us this?" Hyde asked.

"Biscotti and I have come to the decision that we have to track down and gather all the Protectors and then form a force to take down Kale and his partners," Madeline said. "I have chosen you all to help us with that."

"What?" Liquorish asked, voicing the shock that everyone else felt. "Why us?"

"You all, despite some of your poor grades, all have the most magical potential in this entire school. You are the only ones who have a chance of surviving on other planets," she explained.

"A chance?" Tech asked, sounding very worried.

"Yes, a chance. And in groups, that chance is increased," Madeline said. "I cannot gather them all in time to fight off Kale. He would have struck before then. Biscotti and I have formed a plan: I will engage Kale and distract him, while you all find the Protectors."

"Okay, how would we do that?" Peppa asked.

Madeline smiled. "I'm glad that at least one of you is paying attention. We would divide you all into 3 groups. One would head to Puffoon to find the Protector of Wind, the second would go to Cassia to receive help from the Water Protector, and the last would go to Gren in search of the missing Protector."

"I think we could do it!" Flax said with enthusiasm. His brother nodded in agreement. Around the room, everyone began to embrace the plan.

"Good," Madeline said, looking around. "I knew I could count on you."

"So, what are our groups?" Hyde asked curiously. He was hoping to be in the same group as Arsenic.

"Going to Gren is Mint, and Macchiato. You will be led by Liquorish," Madeline announced.

"Yay!" Mint shouted. Macchiato offered Liquorish a warm smile, while Maize glanced worriedly at Flax.

"Going to Puffoon are Kitt, Hex, and Arsenic. Your leader will be Flax," Madeline continued.

"What? Is Maize not in my group?" Flax asked.

Madeline shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not. And before you argue, I promise you that a lot of thought has been put into these groupings."

"It's fine," Maize said. "It'll only be for a little while, and besides, I never really wanted to go to Puffoon."

"Alright, what's the last group?" Flax asked, still clearly unhappy.

"The group for Cassia is Tech, Maize, Lato, and Peppa," Madeline said. "Your leader is Peppa."

"What!?" Tech shouted. "I'm not taking orders from her!"

"Then you won't be going," Madeline shouted back before Peppa could respond. "You could always be co-captains. I'm sure Maize and Lato wouldn't mind."

"No, I don't mind," Maize said immediately, trying to avoid further arguments. Lato nodded in agreement. The two highly annoyed children began to mumble unhappily.

"What was that?" Ms. Madeline asked, silver sparks flying off of her dangerously.

"Oh! It's nothing!" Peppa exclaimed.

"Yeah! Nothing at all!" Tech said with equal enthusiasm.

"Good," Ms Madeline said. The second she turned her back on them, they were shooting daggers at each other.

"What about me?" Hyde asked, noticing that his name hadn't been called.

"You must stay here in my stead," Madeline said. "The Protector of Light must always remain on their planet. Kovomaka is a surrogate for my planet, and it cannot be left unguarded."

"Does that mean..."

"Yes," Ms. Madeline confirmed. "You will become the Protector of Light while I am gone fighting Kale."

"Will we have to do that too?" Gelato asked nervously.

"I'm afraid so, but it'd only be temporary. And it'd be different for each Protector. Only the Protector and the one they chose to be the temporary Protector know what exactly happens when they pass the responsibilities on," Madeline tried to explain.

"Okay," Mint said, her grip tightening slightly on her wooden staff. "It's only temporary."

"So when do we leave?" Tech asked.

"Biscotti want me to leave in 2 weeks for Gren, but I believe that you all should get going as soon as possible, so tomorrow you will leave," Madeline said.

"Wait, Principle Biscotti doesn't know about this?" Hyde asked in surprise.

"No, and he'd never approve. That's another reason you will have to leave tomorrow. The sooner the better," Madeline said.

"How will we get off the planet?" Arsenic asked, voicing the obvious question.

"That's easy," Madeline said, her eyes shining with mischief. "Just meet me outside the east tower at 7 tomorrow morning. I think that Tech and Macchiato know what I'm talking about."

"Yeah," Macchiato said, his single eye reflecting the same mischievousness as Ms. Madeline's.

"Alright, make sure you tell no one outside of this room what is going on," Madeline ordered. "You will need to pack for a long journey, 2 sets of clothes, a tooth-brush, etc. I will provide some currency of each planet for you all."

"So I guess it's all squared away," Arsenic said with a hint of nervousness.

"Yes. I suggest that you all go and get ready. You'll need a good nights' sleep," Madeline said. As everyone got up to leave, Madeline spoke again. "Could the leaders stay behind for a moment? I must give them more information on the location of each Protector."

Peppa, Flax, Liquorish, and Tech all stayed behind. Madeline let out another sigh.

"I did not want to say this in front of the others: I cannot guarantee that you all will return," Madeline muttered.

"So, one of us will die?" Flax asked, worried.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. I regret to tell you of that," Madeline said sadly.

"Then why the hell are you still sending us?" Tech shouted.

"Open your eyes, idiot," Peppa said, smacking Tech over the back of the head. "Haven't you noticed the changes? The light bulbs in school have been acting funny. Fires light themselves randomly. The ground outside remains dry despite all of the heavy rain. The death of the Protectors greatly affects the elements which they protected."

"If they are all killed, then the entire universe will be thrown out of balance," Madeline said. "I would not be doing this if it was not completely necessary."

"Alright, fine," Tech muttered.

"Now, about the locations," Madeline said, handing them each maps. "These are the last locations of the Protectors. They should be somewhere around there."

"Alright," Liquorish said, accepting the scroll of paper and examining it quickly. "You said that the Protector of Plants was missing, so she could be anywhere on this planet?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so," Madeline said.

"Alright, no big deal. It'll be fun," Liquorish said. "I'm going to go now and pack," Liquorish muttered, walking out the door.

"I should go too," Flax said, following her out the door.

"I have one last question before I go," Peppa said. "I think that you will like to hear it too, Tech," she added as Tech began to het up to leave.

"What is it?" Madeline asked, knowing what the question would be.

"Who will take the responsibilities of the Protectors of Fire and Earth?" she asked. Tech looked at her, shocked, and turned back to Ms. Madeline.

"I think that you both know that answer," Madeline said sadly. "I'm afraid that your time at Will-o-Wisps is at an end."

"Of course," Peppa said, but her voice was cut off by Tech.

"Are you out of your mind? We can't even drive yet! What makes you think that we can take on the responsibility of an entire element?" he shouted.

"We have to," Peppa said simply. "It is our job."

"What if I refuse?" Tech asked.

"Then Macchiato will take on the job for you," Madeline said. "Do you really want to burden that boy with such a responsibility?" Tech remained silent, trying to form a response.

"It has to be the two of us," Peppa said sadly. "Just accept that." Tech stayed quiet.

"I have these for the two of you," Ms. Madeline said, handing them both scrolls, on red and the other brown. "They have the instructions of what to do. Once you have found the Protector of Water and gotten Lato take on the temporary responsibility, the two of you are to go to Razen and Erd. Maize and the Protector of Water will go and meet up with the others."

"We should go and prepare now," Peppa said, rising out of her chair. "Thank you for answering my question."

"You're just going to accept that?" Tech shouted after the girl.

Peppa paused at the door. "I don't have much of a choice, now do I?" she continued out of the door, leaving Tech and Madeline alone.

"This is insane," Tech said, exiting the room and heading towards his own dorm. "Absolutely insane."

* * *

**Chapter done!**

**Point out my mistakes!**

**That's pretty much it!**

**Thanks,**

**~CatKkit.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Next Chapter!**

**Yay!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Hyde made his way through the hallways towards the girl's dorm. It was 5 am, so he knocked quietly.

Liquorish yanked the door open. "He's here! Finally!" she hissed, pulling him into the room. It was bustling with quiet activity. Liquorish left Hyde and went back to talking with her group members, Mint and Macchiato, planning on where to start their search on Gren. They were around a small square table, surrounded by their packs, scrutinizing a map of the planet.

"I think we should start here," Mint said, pointing at an eastern part of Gren that was thick with forest.

"Why not here?" Macchiato asked, pointing to the enormous tree on the map.

"Because that is where the Protector of Plants used to live. After the attack and attempted murder, I don't think that anyone in their right mind would return," Mint said.

"I have already decided where we are going," Liquorish said, pointing to the southeast part on the map. It showed the enormous exposed root system of the planet..

"Why are we going there?" Mint asked, leaning against her wooden staff.

"There is a sacred shrine there. It is well hidden, and only a plant wizard can find it. I think that is where the Protector that we seek is hiding," Liquorish said, marking a red X on the map. "Any questions?"

"No ma'am!" The two said in unison, saluting Liquorish.

"Good," she said.

Peppa was having a quiet argument with Tech. Tech was insisting that he should be the one to fly the rocket. Peppa was trying to explain to him that the rocket would be on auto pilot, but the stubborn android boy just wouldn't listen. Lato was just sitting there, glancing over at Liquorish occasionally. He didn't want to be parted from her. She was his over-protective sister figure. He would miss her dearly.

Flax and Maze were talking in the corner. They were saying their goodbyes in case one of them didn't make it back. Flax gave Maize a hug and the two departed over to their separate groups. Flax walked over to his group.

"So, what's the plan?" Arsenic asked.

"We can discuss it on the rocket," Flax muttered. "We need to focus on getting to the rockets without anyone catching us."

"And how will we do that?" Kitt prompted, her purple eyes fixed on Flax. "I am totally useless when it comes to this planet, so don't ask me to help out."

"That's alright," Hex said with a grin. "I don't know much about the layout either."

"Alright, let's get started on the plan," Flax said, rubbing his hands together. "First off, we need to come up with a plan."

"You mean you have no plan?" Kitt exploded. Hex shushed her quickly, afraid that her shout woke any one.

"Relax! We'll come up with something," Flax said sheepishly.

"I'll be right back," Arsenic said, slipping away from her group. She wove quickly in and out of the furniture and people crowding her dorm room. Once she had made it to the back of the room, she was met with the light blue stare of Hyde.

"Hey Arsenic," Hyde said, forcing a cheerful smile.

"Hey Hydenator," she replied cheekily.

"You seem quite excited," he commented.

"Oh! I am! I can't wait to get off of this planet, and see Puffoon! I hear that the Space Police are located there!" Arsenic said happily, jabbering on about the planet.

"Sounds like fun," Hyde said, leaning casually against the brown walls.

"I know! I just wish that you could come with!" she muttered sadly.

"Hey, don't you worry. I'll be here, waiting for you to get back," Hyde said, taking her hand.

"Just make sure you are here," Arsenic said seriously, looking into his eyes. She sighed. "I'm really going to miss you."

"Here," Hyde said, holding out a small, wrapped gift box. "It's a present. I meant to give it to you a while ago, but I never found the right time to."

"What's in it?" she asked, looking at the tiny green box.

Hyde smiled. "Just a necklace. So you won't forget about Kovomaka, or Will-O-Wisps, or me..."

"I could never, ever, in the history of everness, forget about you," Arsenic said, planting a kiss on his cheek. Flax was beckoning urgently at Arsenic, wanting to go over the new plan with her.

"I think he wants to talk about your plan," Hyde said, glancing across the room.

"Or lack of thereof," Arsenic commented. She gave Hyde a final hug before returning to her group, holding back tears.

_It will only be 3 weeks, _she thought to herself, depositing the box into her pocket. _At least I'll be excused from my homework._

Maize let out a huge sigh as he sat on the red sofa next to Lato.

"You guys will see each other again," Lato said. "Soon too! This quest is not going to take very long. Ms. Madeline said no more than 3 weeks!"

"Yeah, I guess so," Maize said, his gold eyes drooping with sadness. "He's my twin brother, though. I'm going to miss him no matter what."

"It'll be fine. Now, do you want to bet on which one of these knuckleheads will win the fight this time?" Lato asked, gesturing to Peppa and Tech.

"I think that Tech will win," Maize said.

"But Peppa is right!" Lato pointed out.

"That doesn't matter. Peppa is going to give up, which means that she loses. The Ms. Madeline will tell them that it is going to be flying on autopilot, which Tech will argue over for about a minute before accepting it and moving on," Maize explained. "Peppa would still be the loser in this situation."

"I'm not so sure. My money is still on Peppa," Lato said. "Five bucks."

"Watch and learn then, my friend," Maize said, leaning back on the couch.

"Hello children!" Ms. Madeline trilled softly as she entered the room, carefully closing the door behind her. "Are you all ready and packed up?"

"Yes ma'am," Liquorish said, answering for everyone.

"Good! And I assume that you all have plans for where you plan on starting?" she asked.

"Yeah," Flax said, proud of his plan. It only took him two minutes to come up with.

"Wonderful! Simply wonderful!" Ms. Madeline said, beaming around the room. "Now, we must get outside of the school without anyone noticing us."

"How?" Arsenic asked.

"Oh, use your imagination!" she said cheerily. "But make sure you are quiet, and bring all of your supplies." In a flash of white light, she vanished.

"Wha-? Where'd she go?" Hex asked, astonished as everyone shouldered their packs.

"We'll meet you all at the front of the school," Hyde said. Then, he also vanished in a bright flash of light.

"Alright, let's go!" Peppa ordered.

"Way ahead of you!" Flax said, disappearing out of the window. This was alarming, due to the fact that they were on the seventh story. Hex gasped and glanced out. He saw no sign of Flax until he looked down: Flax was scaling down the wall like a giant squirrel.

"Excuse me, I need to get past here," Mint said, brushing past Hex, fixing her long, green hair into a braid as she went. She raised her staff old, twisted staff, which glowed with a warm, green light. An enormous vine entered into the window, wrapped around Mint's waist, and hoisted her out the window. Lato walked into the bathroom, transformed into water, and went down the sink drain, much to everyone's horror.

"See ya," he bubbled as the last of him disappeared down the drain.

"Yeah, I'm going to leave now," Hex said, vanishing in a flash of light, just as Ms. Madeline and Hyde did just minutes before.

"Okay, if they are all finished, does anyone want to go out the door?" Peppa asked, pulling on her metal gauntlets.

"No, we'll take our secret exit. Bye now!" Tech said. He pulled a painting on the wall, activating a trap door. He and Macchiato vanished, the floor sliding closed the second they were gone.

"Now? Are we all going out this door?" Peppa asked again.

"Yeah. I think we all do. Give us a second to get ready," Maize said. He and Kitt backed away from the door as the two dark mages edged forward, eager to be on their way.

"Alright. On the count of three," Peppa said, her pale hand resting on the knob. "One...Two...Three!" she pulled the door open. Arsenic and Liquorish were the first out. Their bodies seemed to shimmer as they passed shadows, sometimes vanishing completely.

"They coast is clear!" Liquorish called out softly, barely visible in the shadows.

"Alright, let's go," Peppa said, walking briskly out. She had no tricks to hide herself, so she had to be extremely careful.

She ran into someone before she could even take ten steps.

"Hello Peppa!" It was Dr. Erdbeere, one of the gym teachers. He was a wrinkly old man with a tuft of fiery hair that stuck out from behind his ears. He was moving slowly on his walker, his bunny slippers quiet on the green floor. How he became a gym teacher was a mystery to everyone.

"Oh! Hello!" Peppa said. She ducked to his other side so his back was to the dorm.

"It is certainly a wonderful evening, isn't it?" he wheezed.

"It's five o'clock in the morning," Peppa corrected. She watched as Kitt and Maize crept carefully out of the room.

"Say, isn't your dorm there?" he asked, swinging his walker towards the door. Maize tackled Kitt back into the room, barely avoiding the old man's gaze.

"Yes sir, it is," Peppa replied, almost yanking out her long, grey hair in distress.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" he asked. "After all, it is eleven o'clock at night."

"Yes, I should be in bed," she agreed. She needed to get Dr. Erdbeere to look away from the dorm.

"You should sleep," he said, his voice getting muddled.

"So should you, sir," Peppa said. "Here, let me help you back to your room." She took his arm.

"Oh, no need for that, my dear. I am just going for my usual noon day walk," he said.

"Sir, it is five in the morning. You should go back to bed," Peppa said, more forcefully this time.

"Alright, I suppose so," he said, turning his head from the door. The second he did so, Kitt and Maize bolted out of the room, weaved past Peppa and the teacher at lightening speeds, and were down all ten flights of stairs in three seconds.

"Did you feel that breeze?" the teacher asked as he slowly made his way back to the teacher's dorms. "It reminds me of my youth."

"Yes sir. Very good," Peppa remained where she was until the teacher was gone. Liquorish and Arsenic, who had remained frozen for the entire time, began to move again.

"Sorry," Liquorish said.

"Yeah. We didn't see him," Arsenic added.

"It's fine," Peppa said as they hurried down the stairs. Luckily, they didn't run into anyone else.

"Hey guys!" Maize said, panting.

"That was a close one, eh?" Kitt laughed breathlessly.

"Are you guys alright?" Arsenic asked.

"Us? Yeah, of course," Kitt said as both of the cats straightened up.

"Let's hurry up. I don't want to be the last one," Peppa said as they walked quietly up to the front door. Instead of trying to open the enormous, creaky door, they decided to go through a window instead. They quickly rejoined the rest of their group.

"Where is Lato?" Liquorish asked with a hint of panic in her voice.

"Heeerrreeee!" Lato called, bubbling up from a storm drain. He returned to his human form and got up.

"Alright. Everyone is here now. Let's hurry and get to the ship storage station and steal us some rockets! It is about a mile from us," Ms. Madeline said. "Lead the way, Hyde."

"Okay!" Hyde said. He took off in a run, everyone else following him.

Ms. Madeline paused for a second and looked up at the sky. The tiny dot of a ship could be made out, suspended in the sky.

_Strange, _she thought. _Ships are supposed to go straight to and from the docking station. No exceptions. The upper atmosphere is far too dangerous for a ship to loiter in, so why is one there now? And isn't the station closed for holidays?_

She felt her blood freeze as realization hit her.

"Stop!" she shouted. The children, about 100 yards away from her, skidded to a halt. Ms. Madeline looked up again. The ship had fired off several missiles, each one speeding towards the ship storage.

"What is that?" Mint asked, shaking.

"It's an attack!" Ms. Madeline warned suddenly. She began to run towards the ship storage station, preparing to throw a shield of light in front of it to protect it from the missiles, when the ship fired off several more, these ones heading for the school.

Ms. Madeline stopped and jumped straight up into the air, higher than the school, and threw forward her wall of light. It expanded to the size of five football fields, and took the blast from the missiles head on. Small cracks appeared in the light.

Unfortunately, to save the school, Ms. Madeline had to sacrifice the ship storage, which was their only ticket off of the planet.

The ship, which could now be made out as an enormous pirate ship, fired more missiles at the school, now ignoring the ruins of the ship storage. Ms. Madeline swung the huge shield to stop them in their tracks. More cracks appeared in the huge white barrier.

"Hyde! Take them to the alternative ships!" she shouted.

"What alternative ships? The only ones are in the storage, and it was just destroyed," Lato yelled.

"No! There are more! Follow me!" Hyde shouted. He ran back towards the school. The group followed him, dashing up the steps. The doors were suddenly pushed out, allowing a stream of other students to race out of the school. Hyde pushed his way through and ran up the stairs. He paused at the top of the first flight, watching the others struggle through the crowds.

"Hyde! Slow down!" Kitt shouted, shoving her way through the mob. The group members began to reach the steps, and soon they had all joined Hyde.

"Hurry now," Hyde ordered. He led them up all the stairs, up to the sixth floor. He then turned and ran across the hall, up a circular flight of stairs, and through a green door at the top.

Everyone bundled inside. The green door closed behind them, locking itself.

"Well, it looks like we are stuck here," Kitt muttered.

"Now what?" Hex asked, flattening his ears as he heard more explosions from outside.

"Up here," Hyde said, gesturing to a regular brick wall. It was about 10 feet across of large grey stones. It rose up high, vanishing into the shadows.

"That is a wall. We cannot climb that," Peppa declared. Hyde merely smiled and tapped on one of the grey bricks. It lit up brightly in white. Dozens of the bricks moved, creating hand holds.

"Now we can," he said, hauling himself up. Flax followed after him with Hex. Maize went next, catching Hex whenever the tiny cat slipped. Upon Peppa's insistence, Tech and Macchiato followed. Lato went afterwards, swallowing at the great height.

"We'll wait down here in case if one of you fall!" Liquorish shouted.

"Thanks!" Lato called back shakily. He felt much better, though, knowing that his best friend would catch him if he fell. Luckily, no one needed any catching.

"Alright, now it's your turn!" Hyde shouted as he pulled Lato up.

"Okay! Just make room at the top!" Peppa yelled. "Lots of room!" Hyde looked at the other boys, confused, but moved back anyway.

"Okay, you girls ready?" Peppa asked from the base of the wall. She had linked arms with Liquorish, forming a platform.

"Yes! We're ready!" Arsenic said determinedly.

"Alright! GO!" Liquorish shouted. Arsenic ran at the two girls at full speed, and jumped off of their arms like a spring board. She landed at the top with the boys, who looked flabbergasted. Arsenic quickly moved out of the way as more girls came rocketing up. Kitt came shooting up, far higher than Arsenic. She spun several times in the air and landed with a roll, stopping herself with her claws. Mint popped up a second later, laughing hysterically out of a mixture of terror and exhilaration. She landed on her face, giving herself more reason to laugh.

"How are you two going to get up?" Macchiato shouted.

"Easy!" Peppa called back. Liquorish backed away from the base of the wall and ran at Peppa, who catapulted her friend up. Once she was sure that Liquorish had landed, Peppa ran at the wall, kicking off from a small crevice to launch herself up to the others. She landed neatly on the small space leftover for her.

"Alright, everyone's here," Hyde said, already over his initial surprise. "Let's go." He walked through another door and into a dusty room full of old items. There were outdated, over used, and forgotten machines pushed up against the walls. On the other side of the room was a huge door. It wasn't a regular door, though.

This one had a real, sleeping face on it.

* * *

**Chapter done!**

**It's kind of a weird place to stop, but whatever.**

**Please point out my errors!**

**Thanks,**

**~CatKkit.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter...7?**

**I think?**

**Yes!**

**Enjoy, my 20 or so readers!**

* * *

"Is that a...face?" Arsenic asked in surprise. The door was enormous, appearing bluish-grey in the dim lighting. Shadows were splashed across the face like make-up. It also had insane eyebrows and an awesome mustache.

"Apparently!" Hex whispered, his silver fur puffed up in fear. "I think that it's sleeping!" His eyes were like saucers.

"How is that possible?" Tech asked. "I've never seen anything like it before."

"It isn't a machine," Macchiato reported. He was almost invisible, the darkness making his silvery robotic armor difficult to distinguish from the wall.

"What is it then?" Peppa asked, looking at the face-door.

"It's organic!" Mint said in surprise. She stepped closer to the door, causing it to twitch and sniffle.

"OH MY GOD! IT'S MOVING!" Kitt screeched, trying to bolt from the room, only being held back by Maize.

"Relax please," Maize requested. Kitt straightened up, running a hand through her short hair.

"I'm okay," she said casually, trying to hide her embarrassment.

The door opened its tired black eyes, staring down at the group of children below it.

"What is the meaning of this?" the door boomed in a slow, rolling voice. "You seek to open the door to the heavens?"

"It talks..." Liquorish murmured, looking paler than normal.

"Yes," Hyde said, cutting her off. "We wish to open the door to the heavens."

The door paused before speaking again. "I can grant entrance only to those who wield great power," it said. "If you seek to pass, show me your power."

"Who wants to do it?" Hyde asked.

"Do what?" Lato asked.

"Show your power to the door," Hyde said. "Usually, we would each do it separately, but we don't have enough time. Someone needs to give enough of their power for all of us." Loud explosions from outside told them that they had even less time than Hyde said.

Everyone looked at one another, a little freaked out by everything that was going on. No one seemed eager to volunteer. Hyde sighed. He needed his strength to aid Ms. Madeline as soon as possible, but he knew how afraid everyone must be, about to be shot off into space.

"I'll do it," Mint said nervously, pulling on her green braid.

"Are you sure that you can? Are you strong enough?" Liquorish asked.

"Are you doubting me?" Mint asked quietly, her red eyes flashing. Liquorish said nothing, so Mint quickly passed her and walked up to the door, which watched her lazily.

She sighed and closed her eyes, her hands resting on her wooden staff. A glowing green hieroglyph appeared on the ground around her feet. It began to fade, and Mint could see that the door was far from impressed.

_Oh no! I'm not strong enough!_ she thought in horror. She could feel everyone's stares on her back. Mint felt something on her hands change: the staff was sprouting little leaves along the top. As this happened, Mint felt a surge of power flow through her, expanding the hieroglyph at an astonishing rate. It vanished after a few seconds.

"Now opens the door to the heavens," the door said, swinging open. Mint just stood there, flabbergasted.

"Mint! You opened the door!" Flax cheered.

"Who knew that there was such a creepy door in the back of this storage closet," Peppa murmured. "And who put it back here anyway?"

"Well, it's open now," Hyde said, leading the way through the door.

"No! Not more climbing!" Flax said when he saw the enormous ladder.

"Men first," Liquorish said, waving them up the ladder.

"Where in the school do you think that we are?" Arsenic asked as she followed the boys up the ladder.

"I don't know," Tech said from far above her. "But did you notice all of the suspicious machinery? It is...excitingly suspicious." Peppa just rolled her eyes.

"Woah!" Hex shouted, being the first one to the top of the ladder, following a two-minute climb. Everyone else joined him up there, gawking at the sight in front of them.

"Come on guys! We need to hurry," Hyde ordered, brushing past his stunned friends. They were in another room, this one absolutely enormous. There was a landing pad, which had six green and red rockets on it. Three of them had the doors open, waiting for their pilots.

A mechanical voice came on overhead.

"How does this even exist?" Kitt asked, horrified. She was still trying to get over the talking door, and now this? She needed to sit down soon to process everything.

"Everyone, get in a rocket," Hyde shouted, running over to the control panel. "Liquorish, your team is in the first rocket!"

"Got it!" she shouted, running on board with Mint and Macchiato.

"The team going to Cassia!" he shouted, pointing to Peppa, Tech, Lato, and Maize. "Get in the second rocket." They ran onto the ship, the deck sliding up and compressing behind them. The door slid shut.

"Everyone else, go to the last rocket," Hyde ordered. Flax, Kitt, and Hex ran on the whimsical rocket.

"Come on Arsenic!" Flax shouted. Arsenic remained frozen, staring at Hyde.

"I'll be fine!" he yelled. An explosion from the ongoing battle outside didn't convince Arsenic. "Go Arsenic! Now!"

She finally unfroze herself and disappeared into the ship.

Hyde sighed and put on a head set. "Attention: Everyone on board. I'm now opening the launch pad." The huge metal doors slid open, causing red warning lights and sirens to come to life.

...

Outside, Principle Biscotti looked up in horror as the enormous clock tower slid open, the hands of the clock falling off as it did so. The ground began to shake, causing the children to shout in fear.

"It's alright children," he shouted. Inside his heart, however, he was torn. _What has Madeline done? And what about...Hyde?_

He was about to run into the school to look for his adopted son when he saw the faces of the children. They were terrified. He couldn't just leave them. They would panic and scatter.

Biscotti began to think very quickly. If the ship was here to cause harm to them, then a group of children would be a perfect target. He met the eyes of the other teachers and could see that they were thinking the same thing. He quickly gathered up all of the teachers.

"We need to scatter," he ordered. "Take the children from your class with you. Do not return until I or one of the other staff members comes and find you. Is that understood?" he asked, looking them all dead in the eye.

"What about Madeline's kids?" Dr. Erdbeere asked, leaning on his walker.

"I will take them," Biscotti said. "Go quickly now." He watched as the students dispersed and took their classes, running off with them in opposite directions, scattering across Kovomaka. Biscotti gasped as he saw a stray missile head towards Dr. Erdbeere's group, who were still in the clearing due to the red-headed teacher's slow, restricted movements.

"We need to go back for them," one of Ms. Madeline's students said to Biscotti, pulling on his sleeve. The little girl looked terrified.

"There is no need for that," Biscotti said, a smile forming beneath his thick white mustache. The little girl watch, wide-eyed, as the old, withered gy teacher jumped from the ground and smacked the rocket, causing it to spiral back into the sky and explode.

"Come on kiddies!" he wheezed, landing with his gym class again. He began to hobble towards the edge of the clearing. One of his students, an enormous salamander, scooped the aged teacher up onto his shoulder and carried him off with the class closely behind. The old man was shout with laughter as they went.

"See? Nothing to worry about," Biscotti said. "In fact, all of the teachers will defend you children with their lives." The little girl, who had been worried before, smiled gleefully.

_I just hope that those other kids are okay,_ Biscotti thought to himself, staring at the shaking school.

...

"Are you ready to go guys?" Hyde asked, typing a pass code into the system.

"The roof just opened!" Lato said through the static.

"Yes, yes it did," Hyde agreed.

"Are we ready to launch yet?" Peppa shouted.

Hyde looked over all of the monitors. "Looks good-." The rest of what he was saying got cut off as a missile was deflected mere inches from the launch pad.

"OH MY GOD!" Tech shouted into the headset, deafening Hyde.

"They'll shoot us down before we can get out of the atmosphere!" Liquorish said.

"Let me think..." Hyde said, closing his eyes.

"Umm...I don't think that we have that kind of time," Hex muttered as more missiles exploded.

"Got it!" Hyde said, returning to the controls. "Just give me a second."

...

Biscotti watched as missiles shot towards _each group of students._ Whoever was coordinating this attack was very smart. And ruthless. Madeline was already worn down from all of the attacks. Now, she wouldn't be able to block all of the missiles. Heck, if she could deflect even one then it would be a miracle.

So, the teachers had to take care of it.

Ms. Himbeere and Ms. Salat, twin plant mages, cast up their own barriers. Enormous flowers, one pink and one green, erupted from the ground, each the size of a basketball court. Mr. Felsin shot his hands forward, creating a rock dome that acted as a shield for the children. The other teachers threw forward more defenses o help reinforce Ms. Madeline's shield. More giant plants, walls of fire, and bubbles with the diameter of a football field popped up all over Kovomaka.

Biscotti smiled, bursting with pride for his teachers. Lastly, he placed his hand on the ground. He could practically feel the rage of the planet. He allowed some of his magic to drip down into the surface, awakening the planet's powers. Strength from the core flowed through him. He was tempted to use the power himself, to pick the pesky pirate ship out of the sky. Instead, he distributed it the teachers, allowing them to strengthen their barriers and protect the students.

Nothing could be done for Madeline, though. Her shield was shrinking, now hardly enough to cover her own body. She was bleeding from wounds all over her body. It was clear that she was in pain.

But she would not abandon her adopted planet.

...

"Okay, are you ready guys?" Hyde asked. He honestly didn't care if they were or not. He was practically shaking with fear. He was on his only back up plan in case of attack, and it was a sucky plan.

But they had t get off of the planet.

"We're all ready," Liquorish said. He could imagine all of them in the tiny shaking cockpit.

"Here goes nothing," Hyde muttered. He slammed his hand down on the button. Immediately, all six rockets began to light up, increasing the heat in the room. Soon, Hyde was sweating heavily. He was tempted to say more, but decided against it. There were now six levers in front of him. Hyde closed his eyes, saying a quick prayer, and pushed each of the levers at different times. The launch pad began to rotate, and soon Hyde could not tell them apart.

"Launching rocket!" he said as a random rocket took to the air. The other five followed, streaming along in some sort of bizarre flock. Suddenly, the enemy on the ship seemed to realize that there were rockets in the sky. They fired projectiles towards the flock. One rocket was blown up. Hyde knew that it wasnt anyone from the school, due to the fact that he was still being deafened by them over the headset.

Another rocket was taken out. Hyde began to shake with anxiety. The odds of one of the real rockets being hit instead of the dummy one...

...

Biscotti watched as two of the six rockets of the school were blown up. It was hard to see, due to the dust, smoke, and explosions going on about him. He smiled as the rockets got higher and higher into the sky.

_They're almost safe,_ he thought.

And he jinxed them.

The giant pirate ship shot off not one, but three missiles, all of them streaking towards separate ships.

"No!" he shouted. The other teachers watched helplessly as the projectiles got closer and closer to their targets.

And then, two streaks of white stopped two of the missiles in their path. Hyde had done as Ms. Madeline had earlier, creating a shield to use against the enemy weapons. He managed to stop the first missile.

Ms. Madeline, however, was not as fortunate. Her shield had faded, leaving her defenceless. Still, she cast herself in the path. The explosion threw her down onto the landing pad, leaving a smoking crater. Hyde landed next to her. She was battered and bleeding, her clothes torn. Her hair was a tangled, burned mess.

"Ms. Madeline!" he shouted, trying to wake he up. One of the rockets exploded overhead, shattering debris down on them.

"No..." Ms. Madeline murmured, tears coming to her eyes. Hyde jumped up and ran back to the headset that he had abandoned.

"Is everyone okay?" he shouted desperately.

"Yes, we're here!" Liquorish said shakily.

"Did you have to yell?" Peppa asked angrily.

"Oh my god," Flax muttered. "We just almost died, didn't we?"

"You're all alive," Hyde said, breathing in relief.

"Are they?" Ms. Madeline said, trying to get up. She cried out in pain and fell back.

"Ms. Madeline! Try not to move," Hyde said, running back over to her.

"Are they all okay?" she asked wearily.

"Yes, they're fine," Hyde said, his voice pitching in relief.

"Thank god," she muttered, visibly relaxing. Hyde looked up at the sky. The rockets were barely pinpricks against the blue sky. The pirate ship, apparently out of ammunition, was also leaving, but in the opposite direction.

"Alright guys," Hyde said shakily, knowing that this may be his last time speaking with any of them. "Be careful. Complete your quest as quickly as possible and come home. Ms. Madeline will figure out a way to pursue Kale. Make sure you all take care of one another."

"We'll be careful," Liquorish said earnestly.

"Yeah! No worries!" Macchiato said.

"Liquorish will take care of us!" Mint cheered.

"I'll take good care of my team," Tech said

"You mean _my _team," Peppa argued.

"We'll be safe," Lato promised.

"And you will too, right Flax?" Maize asked his brother.

"Of course!" Flax said. His voice began to crackle.

"If he doesn't, then I'll put him back in his place," Kitt said faintly. Hyde couldn't hear what Hex said.

"You be careful too, you got that Arsenic?" Hyde said. He could no longer make out any words, but he knew that Arsenic said something.

"We'll be waiting for your return," he muttered, even though no one could hear him. He took off the headset and looked down at his teacher.

"Job well done Hyde," she said weakly.

Hyde had just sent his friends, including his girlfriend, to the dangerous outer space, with no experience, to find the most powerful wizards in the galaxy, all while racing against the people who had basically just razed Kovomaka.

It did not feel like a job well done to him.

* * *

**Chapter done!**

**Yay!**

**Point out my mistakes.**

**Thanks,**

**~CatKkit.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Next Chapter!**

**Yay!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"I told you that it would fly on auto pilot," Peppa smirked, looking over at Tech. He was pouting in his seat. They were sitting in the two flight seats, staring out the window as space hurtled past them.

"I really wanted to fly it too," he muttered. "I would have blasted those stupid pirates out of the sky."

"This rocket barely has any ammunition," she commented. "It's not very spacey, either." That was true. The entire space of the rocket was about the size of a bedroom. One of the walls opened up in slots to reveal fairly spacious bunks, each with a little porthole. Next to it was a door to a bathroom, which was painfully small. The rest of the room was filled with machinery, all of it in gold and blue.

"Whatever. I still could have done it," Tech said, still moody.

"I'm sure you could," Peppa said, wanting to avoid any kind of argument. In such a cramped space, their shouting would immediately wake their sleeping companions.

"I hope they can take what's coming," Tech muttered, glancing back at the two sleeping forms. Lato was sleeping on the bottom bunk, a book on his face. He must have fallen asleep while reading. Maize was curled up in the shadows of the top bunk. His yellow eyes opened a portion as his ears flicked upwards, disturbed slightly by their talking. His tail lazily trailed off of the bunk, flicking gently.

"I'm going to wake them. We'll be landing soon," Peppa said. She got out of the chair and walked over to Lato. Peppa's clanking armor woke him up immediately.

"Hey Peppa," he muttered sleepily, the book sliding off of his face.

"Morning sleepy head," she said happily, rapping her knuckles gently on his head. Lato began to mutter angrily, pushing her hand away.

"Just twenty more minutes," he muttered, rolling over.

"We'll be landing before then," Peppa said.

"What?!" he shouted, his sleepiness gone. He jumped out of bed and started jumping around.

"You hear that Maize?" Peppa called up.

"Yeah," Maize said quietly, hopping down from his bunk.

"Hey Peppa, we're slowing down!" Tech called out.

"Okay. Look out the windows, guys. The other rockets should be passing us," Peppa informed. Lato and Maize ran to the windows, just in time to see two of the sea-green rockets blast past.

_There they go,_ Maize thought sadly. He knew that his brother was flying through space, and away from him.

"It's okay. We'll see them in no time," Peppa said, as if reading his mind.

"I miss Liquorish," Lato said sadly.

"Like the armor-witch said, we'll see them again," Tech said, receiving a smack on the head from Peppa. Maize and Lato watched the other rockets disperse as a major argument erupted behind them.

They chose to ignore it and not get involved.

...

"Aren't you guys going to act a little more, I don't know, excited?" Liquorish asked. She was in flight room, identical in all rockets. Macchiato was boredly fiddling with a piece of his armor, while Mint examined her wooden walking stick for the hundredth time.

"We're just kind of distracted," Mint said, running her hands over the gnarled wood.

"And sad," Macchiato muttered.

"And bored, apparently," Liquorish said. "But I have to say, good job with the door, Mint. I didn't know that you had it in you."

"I don't," Mint admitted suddenly.

"What do you mean?" Macchiato asked, looking up from his metal.

"I mean I didn't either," Mint quickly covered.

"Okay then," Liquorish said, turning her eyes back to the screen.

Mint let out a secretive sigh, thanking the gods that Liquorish and Macchiato just let that go. In truth, Mint had no idea where all that power had come from. It was almost as if it had come from her staff, but that was impossible. It was only a piece of wood, after all.

Or was it?

"Look! Tech and Peppa's rocket is leaving!" Macchiato said, bringing Mint out of her wondering. Sure enough, the rocket that had been in the lead was slowing down and dropping, heading towards its destination. After a few minutes, the rocket and the blue planet that was their destination had vanished.

"We'll see them again," Liquorish said. After about an hour of quiet flight through the galaxy, a green planet appeared like a pinprick on a map. It grew closer and closer.

"Looks like we're almost there," Macchiato said, sounding a little excited.

"Looks like I'm almost home," Mint murmured, her grip tightening on her staff.

Liquorish said nothing, but eyed the planet with unease. She couldn't help but feel as if something was going to go very wrong here.

Instead of voicing her fear, though, she smiled and said, "Looks like fun."

...

"And there goes Liquorish's rocket," Flax muttered. No one was listening, though. Kitt was lying on the middle bunk, bored out of her mind. Unannounced to her, Hex was beneath her, eyeing her twitching tail like a mouse.

Wait_ for it..._

Sure enough, with a single, lightning fast movement, Hex rocketed towards Kitt's tail. At the last second, the dark tail flicked out of the way, causing Hex to fly past and hit the ground.

"What the heck are you doing?" Kitt snapped, unaware of how close she was to losing part of her tail.

"N-N-Nothing," Hex stuttered, causing Flax to burst out laughing.

"What? What's so funny?" she asked.

"Hex nearly took off your tail," Flax gasped through his laughter. Hex joined in after a few minutes, followed by Kitt, who still had no idea what was happening. The laughter was contagious.

"How do you think Arsenic is doing?" Kitt asked, glancing at the top bunk, which was closed off.

"I'm sure she's fine," Flax said.

...

Arsenic sighed. She could hear the other's talking about her in the background. She pulled out the box that Hyde had given her and opened it. She gasped at what she saw.

It was a simple bracelet, consisting of a black cord and a single, white charm on it. Arsenic put it on with a smile. Hyde always knew just what to get her. She felt something fall onto her lap, and saw a small, folded up sheet of paper. She opened it quickly.

_Dear Arsenic,_

_I came really close to starting this letter with "Hi", but since you are going on a journey that you might not return from, I decided to start it a little more formally. I suppose with these few sentence, I've ruined the formal affect, but whatever._

_Where was I?_

_Oh yeah. The bracelet. _

_I made the bracelet last night, and it took forever. It was worth it, though. I have one identical to it, but with swapped colors. Each of the beads feed off of the owners life force, and sends it to the other bead. I understand that this must sound complicated, so I'm just going to say it simply: If you die, then the bead on my bracelet will break. If I die, the bead on your bracelet will break._

_I know that it may seem kind of creepy to have bracelets like that, but I wanted you to be able to remember me, without having to worry if I'm alive or not._

_Other than that, I want you to know that I love you, and will be missing you every day that you're gone._

_Stay safe and hurry back._

_-Love, Hyde (known to you as the Hydenator)._

Arsenic felt herself break into a broad smile. She looked down at the bracelet, and then glanced out of the window. She was shocked to see an enormous, cloud-looking planet coming quickly into view.

"Arsenic? Can you come out now?" Kitt asked. "We'll be arriving soon."

"Yeah! No worries!" Arsenic said, suddenly feeling full of energy and excitement. This quest would be over with soon enough, and then she'd be able to go and see Hyde.

As the rocket touched down on the planet, and the doors of the rocket opened up to the bright planet, Arsenic kept smiling, ecstatic at the idea of leaving this planet as soon as possible.

It was a shame that one of her own team members was going to die here.

...

"Damnit!" Kale screamed, up turning the table.

"Calm down, my friend," Chard said calmly. "This can be dealt with."

"Are you kidding me?" he shouted, turning on the masked man. "You know what's going to happen, should the remaining Protectors be gathered."

"Yes, and that is why we aren't going to let that happen, Master," Chard said with certainty.

"I'm assuming that you have a plan?" Kale asked.

"Yes, of course I do," Chard said. "We simply get the others to do our dirty work and take out those pesky children."

"And if they fail?" Kale asked.

"Then they die, simple as that. We can't have any weaklings along on our little quest," Chard said.

Kale sighed. "I suppose that there is no better plan. Send whom you see fit. Pair them up to be safe. We'll drop them off as we head back to Razen to refuel."

"Of course, Master," Chard said, bowing his way out.

"Oh, and Chard, think about betraying me, and you will die," Kale said, completely devoid of emotion.

"Yes sir," Chard said.

"Right after you watch your sister die," he added before Chard was completely out of ear shot.

"Of course sir. But you shouldn't worry. I will never betray you." And with that, he was gone.

Kale sighed and sat down in a chair. Other than the seat and the overturned table, the room was completely empty. The emptiness allowed Kale to reminisce.

He remember when he, himself had been one of the Protectors. He had loved it, with Madeline and Riza, as well as the other Protectors. Biscotti had been there too, tagging along on all of their adventures.

And then, everything began to unravel. He had always had some... _different _opinions from the other Protectors, but he kept them well hidden, on the side. That was, until the incredibly sly Protector of Plants had figured it out. He had been exiled immediately, but never replaced. He could no longer return to his home planet, as Madeline had sealed it away, along with her own planet. And it was all the Protector of Plant's fault.

And he never forgot. He would kill the Protector of Plants, even if it killed him.

...

Hyde sighed as he looked down at Ms. Madeline's sleeping form. She was hooked up to the hospital bed. He was just waiting for Biscotti to come back, before he would leave. He was fiddling with his bracelet when he heard a noise behind him.

"I'm back, my boy," Biscotti said. "Here's the box you've been asking about." In his hands was a white tile box, with the symbol of light energy on it, outlined in gold.

"Thanks Dad," Hyde said, causing his adopted father to swell with pride. Hyde took the box, handling it as if it was something precious, and headed towards the door.

"Are you sure that you want to do this, Hyde?" Biscotti asked.

"Yeah," Hyde said, looking up. "I know that if Ms. Madeline is out there, helping fight whoever attacked us, then the others will be safer."

"But you don't have to do this," Biscotti said. "It isn't your responsibility."

"No Dad," Hyde said quietly as he turned away from his dad. "It is my responsibility." And with that he was gone.

Earlier, when Ms. Madeline had told him that the box would assist him in becoming the Protector of Light. How that would happen was a complete mystery to Hyde. All he knew was that he needed the box. Ms. Madeline would explain the rest when she woke up.

Hyde just hoped that she would wake up.

* * *

**Chapter done!**

**Yay!**

**Point out my mistakes!**

**And IMPORTANT:**

**I broke my hand.**

**Don't ask how, but that sucker is in a cast.**

**That does, unfortunately, affect my writing skills, so expect slower updates.**

**Sorry.**

**Thanks,**

**~CatKkit.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter!**

**Yay!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Flax walked out of the rocket ship with a frown. They had meant to land near the major city of Bena Rakashi, but for some reason they landed in the middle of nowhere, which just mad Flax's day eve better than it already was.

"Wow, so this is the wind planet," Kitt said, her ears pricked up as she looked around. The planet had a pinkish hue to its soil, as well as sparse patches of dead grass and clumps of low bushes. Short trees were being blown around wildly in the never-ending wind. The rocks were all spiral shaped, as well as the clouds, which gave the golden sky a touch of softness.

"This is where all the wind magic originated!" Hex exclaimed. "This place must feel like home to you guys!"

Kitt and Flax shared a look of partial agreement. It did feel rather nice on this planet, even though both of the wind mages were originally from Gren.

"Where are we headed?" Arsenic asked as she adjusted the new bracelet on her wrist. Her dark hair was immediately blown into her face.

"Well, we were going to go to Bena Rakashi. It's the largest city in the solar system. That's where the Space Police are located, and the king is there. Apparently, he willingly gives audiences with non-royalty," Flax explained.

"Alright, what are we waiting for?" Hex asked.

"Well, I have no idea where we are, so we're going to have to wander around a little," Flax said.

"Or we could just go that way," Kitt said, pointing at a sign that announced in bold letters "People are this way!", with an arrow pointing up and enormous stalk that seemed to be connecting one chunk of the planet to the next.

"Alright. We'll go that way," Flax grumbled.

Kitt laughed as she fell into step behind Flax, who led them towards the stalk. After climbing up, they found what looked like a city that had been placed haphazardly in the middle of a soup-shaped canyon. Bena Rakashi was enormous, like it's reputation said, and was clearly much more advanced than Kovomaka.

It took Flax and his group much too long to get down to the city. By the time they reached the towering castle of the king, the sun started to set and it was too late for them to allow audiences. They'd have to come back tomorrow to get advice from the noble man.

"So, now what do we do?" Arsenic asked as they entered the inn.

"Well, now we can go out an explore," Flax said. He had thought ahead and decided to already pay for a night, just in case they ran out of money. They didn't want to be bedless.

"No one gets to carry and valuables. If you find something you like, come back here and get the money from me," Kitt instructed as the others emptied their pockets.

"Hey, that's not fair! Who gives you the right to be in charge of the money?" Flax snapped.

He shouldn't have snapped, especially when he knew that she would snap back. "Well, Mr. Smartypants, you're too hotheaded, Hex is too innocent, and Arsenic is too clumsey! No offence, but someone has to grow up a little and take care of things."

"What gives you the right, though? You're more impulsive then I am!" Flax argued.

"Yes, but I'm not going to leave this inn. Besides, if I gave the responsibility to you, you wouldn't be able to see Puffoon and tell Maize about it." When Kitt mentioned his twin, Flax's argument broke down. "I'm fine with staying indoors. I lived here for two years before getting to Kovomaka and the academy. It'll be fine."

"Alright, but we're all meeting back here in one hour, or we'll assume that there was a kidnapping," Flax declared.

"That's fine with me," Arsenic agreed. "Hey Hex, do you want to come with me?"

"Sure!" The silver cat said with a note of relief. He was honestly terrified to be out in this enormous city by himself. Arsenic's offer was a godsend in his opinion.

The two mages were off, hurrying through sweet shops and clothing stores, gawking at the weird fashion choices of the humans that inhabited the city. One of them tried to scam them for a massive amount of money. Luckily, they weren't that gullible.

Flax, on the other hand, merely went sight-seeing. He took in the spiraling towers of the palace and the huge, metal structure of the Space Police HQ. It seemed quite ugly and out of place, to be totally honest. He took a road to the east, just to see where it takes him. He ended up at a dead end in front of an enormous house. It practically radiated darkness and evil. He tried to get in, only to find it totally locked up. Even the windows were covered in bars. After a full hour of trying to illegally break in and enter, he got angry and left a claw mark on the door.

He then realized what time it was and ran back to the inn to find Kitt, Hex, and Arsenic preparing a search party for him, including last ditch and escape tactics.

"Sorry I'm late," he said sheepishly as he walked in through the door.

"Sorry?" Kitt repeated. "You're sorry? You're 3 minutes late! Do you know how worried we were?" On the last words, her voice changed, showing Flax that she was kidding about her worry. Everyone burst out in laughter.

"I won't be late again!" Flax promised. "I don't want to see how angry you'd get if I was actually late."

They took a minute to imagine it.

"I think she would skin you alive and eat you," Hex said honestly, causing a new wave of giggles to begin.

"I bet she would boil you alive!" Arsenic choked out through her laughter.

"I don't doubt it!" Flax said as he doubled over. Kitt didn't find it very funny, but everyone elses laughter was making her laugh, which made everyone else laugh even more. It was a vicious cycle that lasted for over half an hour as they tried to carry serious conversation.

"What is so funny about this?" Hex wondered, as he sat down on his high-tech bed, clutching his side.

"I don't know!" Kitt said as she tried to cool herself off.

"Magawalana!" Hex exclaimed through a yawn.

"I think we should go to bed," Arsenic suggested, her face still red from laughing.

"Yeah, we need to look nice for our audience with the king," Flax agreed as he lay down. Everyone else followed his example and lay down. Hex was out like a light, snoring almost before he touched his pillow. Arsenic got out of her own bed to pull the covers over the little silver cat before going back to her own bed. She seemed lost in thought, and it wasn't long before she too fell asleep.

Kitt and Flax were slower to drift off. Neither could understand how the light and dark mage could sleep so peacefully after just one day on a new, unknown planet. Surely enough, though, the Sandman cast his dust, causing both to feel drowsy.

"Hey, Kitt? You awake?"

"Yes, Flax, but barely. What do you want?"

"Just, thanks for staying back. It was a smart move, and it gave me a good chance to look around."

"How did that go? Anything cool to tell Maize?"

"Well, I found this weird house that seemed full of dark magic. Not Arsenic or Liquorish dark magic, a different kind. It seemed almost-."

"Evil," Kitt interrupted him.

"Yeah, exactly. Do you know the place?"

"Yeah Flax, I do. I suggest staying away from there. It's been locked up for years, filling with the evil magic."

"Really?"

"Yes Flax, really. Now, can I answer these questions tomorrow? I'm a little tired."

"Yeah. Sorry. Goodnight, Kitt."

"Goodnight, Flax."

And with that, Kitt drifted off to sleep, leaving Flax wide awake and wondering about, well, everything. His head was spinning with questions. Where was the Wind Protector? Could the king actually help them? Would he? Who tried to shoot down the rockets as they left? How were the other? How was his brother? He was so caught up in these questions that he didn't even realize that he was falling asleep until his eyes were fully shut.

* * *

**Chapter done!**

**Yay!**

**I hope you all liked it!**

**Thanks,**

**~CatKkit.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10!**

**Yay!**

* * *

Gren was a nice planet, Mint decided. She liked it much more than Kovomaka, except for the lack of security that the school gave her. She followed Liquorish and Macchiato through the dense forest. They had landed in Gren the day before and entered the Tropica village. The trio had gone straight to the current leader, Triticum. She had understood their situation immediately, and was grateful that they had arrived. She also proved to be a great source of information, thanks to being so close to the plant guardian.

"So, where would this Protector be?" Mint had asked as they sat inside of the main house. Triticum's son, Durum, was crawling around, making baby noises.

"Well, the Protector is very sly, and hard to find. I promise that you find any clues near the Yggsalad tree," Triticum had said as she scooped up her son.

"The what tree?" Liquorish had inquired, pulling out the map. There was no tree mentioned.

"It wouldn't be on a map," Triticum said. She had pointed on a spot on the map. "It's located right around here. It was planted a few months ago, so it's only the size of a small house. It's where the Protector lives, but..."

"If the Protector was hiding, that would be the first place the enemy would check," Macchiato said. "And, if this Protector is as smart as you say, then there would be another, more secretive, hiding spot."

"I'm going to guess that you know where it is," Mint said. Triticum nodded.

"Me and my people do, but it is a closely guarded secret," Triticum said. "I can tell, however, that you three are not messing around. I will tell you where the hiding spot is. Just promise me you'll find the Protector."

And they promised. She told them what they already knew, that the hiding spot was in the roots of the planet, and that the actual hiding spot was in the _center _of the planet, underneath all that dirt. She sent a guide to take them to the tunnel that would lead them to the center. According to the guide, there were multiple complex routes that one could take to get to the center. Or, they could just follow the left wall, which would get them there in less than four hours.

"I'm glad we made this extra tunnel," the guide said. "Or, at least, that the Protector did. If I had to guide you through the old path, which led through the maze, I would probably desert the village."

"Was it really that bad?" Macchiato asked.

"Yes, there were traps and monsters and dead ends," the guide said, a faraway look in his eyes. "We've lost many a feline in there. The Protector of Plants eventually made the tunnel to help us get to the center of the planet safely."

"That sounds terrible," Mint said.

"It was. Thankfully, the maze also works to our advantage. Should our planet ever be attacked, we can always head down into the root system and hide there. The enemy will never be able to find us."

"What if they just follow the wall like we are?" Liquorish asked.

"No one ever thinks to do that," the guide said with a smile. "That's why it's such a brilliant idea." He stopped and pointed down. They were standing above the root system, with a long drop into empty space all around them.

"Uh-oh," Mint said, startled by the sudden drop away of the planet.

"Don't worry," the guide said. "Just follow me." He sprang onto an enormous root beneath them and began to walk along it, hoping from one root to the next like it was nothing. The trio of foreigners followed him cautiously, eventually reaching the mouth of a dank cavern. It opened up, as if wanting to swallow them whole.

"Is this it?" Liquorish asked in awe.

"Almost," the guide said. He entered the cave, which led to a twisting passage. After several minutes of walking, it opened up to a massive room full of doors. They were literally everywhere, showing the promise of another passage behind each one.

"Woah," Mint said, looking around at the doors. She frowned. "Are the doors alive?" Liquorish and Macchiato stared at her as if she was crazy, but the guide nodded, seeming interested.

"Why yes, my green haired friend. They are alive. They don't do much, but what they can do is amazing," the guide said.

"What can they do?" Macchiato asked curiously as he touched one of the doors. Immediately, a leaf-shaped band on the guide's wrist turned an ugly shade of red.

"It's an alert system," he explained. "Right now, the village knows that you all are down here, so they won't spring into any action."

"That's amazing," Mint breathed.

"Yes, now let me explain the passage," the guide said, getting their full attention. "You will come across several rooms like this one on your way. Just keep picking the door on the far left, and you should make it in good time. Once you get to the center, there will be a way out, so there is no need to worry about that."

"Alright. Thank you so much," Liquorish said earnestly. The guide smiled, still a little uneasy of the pig-tailed, purple haired girl. She was quite scary.

"And thank Triticum too!" Mint added.

"Of course. Not a problem," the guide said. He watched as the trio vanished into the tunnel, Mint talking cheerily with Macchiato about what she hoped they would find at the center.

The guide waited several minutes before leaving. He wanted to make sure that none of the kids came running back out. It had happened before. Being in such a dark place could sow seeds of fear in even the bravest souls. These students from Will-o-Wisp seemed especially brave. The guide smiled, glad that they were doing so well.

He climbed back up the root system and paused once he got back to the topsoil. The sun was going down. When the children reached the center, it would be dark. He hoped that they'd be okay. He chided himself not to worry, and that those kids could take care of themselves. He sighed and focused on the sunset, which was dying the horizon yellow, outlining the trees in gold. It made him smile.

He died with that smile on his face and a dagger buried into his back. The murder pulled the blade out of the dead cat's back with a sigh of annoyance. Blood all over the dagger, and it was a present from Master Kale. The murderer took the body and threw it over the edge of the planet.

Oh well.

The murdered walked down the root system easily and up to the left door, which was still cracked. The figure paused, smiling at the plan that Master Kale had assigned: follow them, find the Protector, and kill them all.

"This is going to be as easy as pie," the murderer muttered as the door creaked shut.

* * *

**Chapter done!**

**And...**

**My cast is gone!**

**Yay!**

**Thanks,**

**~CatKkit.**


	11. Chapter 11

**So, I reposted all the chapters**

**Hope that didn't freak any of you out.**

**To compensate, here is another chapter!**

* * *

Peppa took one step onto Cassia, and immediately wanted to go home. It was sunny, which was alright with her, but that was it. There was sand everywhere, just waiting to get into her armor, and there was water.

Water everywhere.

Now, Peppa drank water like everyone else, but she was a fire wizard. If she was completely submerged in water and not dried off immediately, then she would probably die.

And now she was on the water planet.

Surrounded by the accursed liquid.

"I'm starting to question Ms. Madeline's logic when she decided to send me here," Peppa muttered.

"Oh," Maize said. "This must be really uncomfortable for you."

"What are you guys talking about?" Lato asked as he threw himself into the water. "This is awesome!"

"The kitty and the fire princess being sent to the water planet," Tech said. "You guys are lucky I'm here. I'm strongest against water."

"Are you trying to imply that I'm weaker?" Peppa asked dangerously. Tech paused for a moment, considering how he was going to play this. Should he be safe, or not.

"Yeah, I am," Tech said, deciding to take the dangerous route.

Peppa growled and pulled out her sword. "Why you little ignorant fool!"

"Stop!" Lato shouted.

"Bring it on, sparky!" Tech shouted.

"Stop!" Maize muttered. He glanced at Lato, who nodded. Both shot a blast of magic, one wind and the other water, at the two arguing teens. Both teens fell to the ground in pain.

"Now I see why we were paired up with them!" Lato exclaimed.

"Why?" Maize asked.

"To control them!" Lato said. Maize still looked confused, so Lato decided to explain. "My water magic and your wind magic can be used to keep these two in line, while still incorporating someone who has strong earth magic to use against the water type enemies of this planet."

"Oh!" Maize said. "We have a pretty smart teacher."

"So, now what?" Lato asked, looking at the duo. They were lying next to each other, unconscious.

"Should we move them?" Maize asked.

"Yes, yes we should," Lato said deviously. Maize looked at the other boy and raised an eyebrow.

...

"OH MY GOD!" Peppa screamed, jumping off of Tech. She had woken up, her cheek pressed against his, his arms wrapped around her.

"Argh!" Tech shouted as he, too, backed away.

"That was great!" Lato hooted. Maize nodded, unable to speak through his choking laughter.

"That was not funny!" Peppa hissed at the two boys.

"What makes you think that we did that?" Maize asked innocently.

"Who else would it be?" Peppa asked.

Lato shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe Tech decided to try something on you." Peppa stared at Tech for a few,long seconds, before looking away.

"I know that Tech is stupid, but he really can't be that stupid," Peppa said, shaking her head. "If he was that stupid, then he wouldn't be alive."

"Hey!" Tech shouted. "Stop with that stupid talk, okay?"

"The truth hurts, doesn't it?" Peppa hissed. Tech's eyes widened.

"You want to go?" Tech asked angrily.

"Oh my god, are they seriously doing this again?" Maize asked.

"Apparently," Lato whispered. He turned to Peppa and Tech. "If you two don't stop, then we will glue you two together. Now, we really want to, so you'd better stop giving us the reason to."

"Well, I could always just kill him," Peppa mused, causing Tech to back away quickly.

"Then we will glue you to his dead body," Lato threatened. Peppa frowned.

"I could always incinerate his body," she muttered.

"We will soak you and his body with water so it will not burn," Lato said.

"Just give it up, Peppa," Maize pleaded. "We're almost to Ambergris Prep. That's where we need to go to get the information on the Water Guardian, right?"

"Yeah," Tech said. "Let's just go there now." He began to lead the way across the sandy beach, between towering blue walls, and towards a large, pink building. It looked like an enormous sea rock.

By the time they got into the building, Peppa was no longer steaming with anger. They walked into the principal's office and were met with by a spry man in his early thirties, with a short black goatee and mustache. He was wearing a conical hat that was secured with a purple sash.

"Hello, you must be Madeline's students. She told me that you were coming," the man said. "I am Sturgeon, the principle of this school."

"This is a school?" Tech asked.

"No, it's a prison for the insane," Peppa said with a completely serious face. "This man is the warden. We are here to institutionalize you."

"Don't joke like that, Peppa," Tech said, turning back to Sturgeon. "What can you tell us about the Protector of Water?"

"Well, his name is Kai. He's quite powerful. He lives in a cave, not far from here," Sturgeon said. "He's quite hostile, though, so I recommend that you four are careful."

"We'll be careful, don't worry," Peppa said. Sturgeon simply nodded and pointed at a map.

"This is where it is, but I don't suggest going now," Sturgeon said. "If the sun goes down while you are deep in the cave, you will freeze to death."

"Huh?" Lato asked, just zoning in to the new information.

"You heard me, kiddos, now go to the inn to get a good nights rest. I will be there to wake you when it is time for you to go," Sturgeon said merrily, herding them from the room. "I'd hurry, or you'll have to share beds."

Peppa took one look at the three boys and practically sprinted for the inn, with Tech not far behind her. Lato and Maize just stood there with Sturgeon.

"Ah, young love," Sturgeon said dreamily.

"You must be out of your mind," Lato said. "They hate each other."

"That's just how it starts," Sturgeon said, still smiling. It was actually starting to get a little creepy.

"Yeah, sure," Maize said, wanting to be away from the man as soon as possible. "We'll be going now."

"Alright, kiddos! See you tomorrow morning!" Sturgeon shouted as Lato and Maize practically ran from him.

"Bye!" The boys shouted. Sturgeon sighed to himself.

_I sure hope those kids know exactly what they are up against._

* * *

**Chapter Done!**

**Yay!**

**Point out any and ALL errors!**

**I mean ALL of them!**

**Thanks,**

**~CatKkit.**


	12. Chapter 12

**New Chapter!**

**Yay!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Rise and shine, Flax!" Kitt shouted unnecessarily into his ear. He grumbled something indistinct before rolling over and covering his ears with a pillow. Kitt sighed and turned to Arsenic and Hex, who nodded. They went to the other side of the bed, took hold of the mattress, and tipped it off it's frame, sending Flax tumbling onto the ground.

"Fine! I'm up!" Flax shouted, sounding very irritated as he rubbed his neck.

"Sorry Flax," Arsenic said, scratching her head. Hex was standing next to her, trying to look as innocent as possible. It was working very well.

"It's fine," Flax said. He looked over at the clock, which said 5:47. "Nevermind! It's not fine! Why are you guys waking me up so early? Does 'jet lag' or 'rocket lag' or 'new timezone' mean anything to you guys?"

"We need to get to the palace before anyone else!" Hex declared quietly.

"He's right. We want to get the information as soon as possible, and then get moving," Kitt said.

"Don't you want to finish with this as soon as possible, and then get home?" Arsenic asked. "I know that I want to get home and see Hyde as soon as I can. Don't you want to see Maize?" At the mention of his brother, Flax jumped to his feet.

"Alright! What are we waiting for then? Let's get a move on!" He hurried out of the inn, Kitt smiling at the inn keeper, whom she had already paid. The inn keeper didn't smile back, however. In fact, once the mages were gone, the elderly rabbit walked to the back door of the inn, which he opened quickly. On the other side was a Space Police member.

"Go tell the King what it is that he needs to do and say," the inn keeper said. The officer nodded and took to the air, looking like some sort of saucer. Several citizens saw the flying disk zoom by overhead and watched it with a mixture of fear and anger. They didn't like the Space Police at all.

It was a good thing that they didn't know what the Space Police was actually up to, or else they would have run away in fear, or started weeping for the crime against the living people of the galaxy.

...

Flax shifted nervously from foot to foot as he and his group stood outside the enormous doors that led into the throne room. They had been waiting there for several minutes for the King to be ready. Finally, a Space Police officer appeared, opening the doors and indicating that they should enter. Kitt led the group in, pausing before the King's platform and bowing.

"Hello, Highness," Kitt said, still in a bow. The King was looking down on them, smiling.

"Please, arise my subjects," he ordered. The group of mages obeyed. "What brings travelers such as yourselves to our planet?"

"Well, sire, we were wondering if you could help guide our journey," Flax said.

"And how would I be guiding you?" the King asked. Hex took a shaky breath before stepping forward to explain.

"We just need to know where the Guardian of the Wind is. We were sent here to-." He was cut off when the door behind them slammed. Hex spun around, the start making his fur puff up in surprise. At the doors was the Space Police officer. He walked quickly over to the King, looking at the mages as if they were trash.

"Hey! It's our turn to talk to the King!" Arsenic said angrily. The officer looked at her with distaste before whispering in the King's ear. After a minute of talking, the officer bowed to the King before exiting the room quickly. The King's jolly mood was gone, replaced by a more somber one.

"What was that about?" Flax asked curiously.

"I cannot tell you anything about the Protector of the Winds," the King said. "It is my sworn duty to protect any and all information about our Protector. I'm afraid that you'll have to ask someone else." Arsenic and Hex shared a confused look.

"But-"

"No buts!" the King shouted, cutting off Hex and terrifying him to no end. "Leave my chambers at once!" He looked at Arsenic, and his angry expression turned even scarier.

"Sire, please..." Kitt trailed off when she saw the King's enraged expression.

"Let's go," Flax said, pulling on Kitt's arm and dragging her from the room with urgency. Arsenic and Hex followed them out, looking quite confused.

"Didn't Ms. Madeline say that the King would help us?" Hex asked once they had exited the city. They crossed an empty, windy plain and took a seat at the edge of the world.

"She said that he might," Flax said. "She said that he would try to help, at least."

"He seemed like he was going to help us," Kitt said. "Until that Space Police guy came into there and whispered to him."

"Do you think he's being influenced?" Flax asked.

"He can't be!" Arsenic said. "He's a king! He's _the King__! _Isn't he supposed to be influence free?"

"He is, but clearly he is not influence free," Kitt said. She sighed softly, and the quartet sat, their hair being blown around by the wind.

"Excuse me?" A voice said behind them. At once, all four of them jumped. Arsenic was so surprised that she nearly fell off the planet.

"What is it?" Flax asked, turning to the man that had spoken to them. He was a spry young gentleman who looked rather nobel. Almost...king-like.

"I am the Prince," the man said. "I'd like to apologize for my father's behavior."

"It's not a problem," Kitt said. "If he can't help us then he can't help us."

"Actually, that isn't true," the Prince said. "My father could have helped you, but he chose not to." Kitt exchanged a look with Flax. They were both a little irritated.

"Can you help us?" Arsenic asked. "That is why you're here, isn't it?"

"Yes," the Prince said, offering Arsenic a smile. "One royal to another, of course."

"What do you mean?" Hex asked. "None of us are royal."

"Of course you aren't," the Prince said, winking at a very confused Arsenic before reaching into his coat and pulling out a map of Puffoon.

"We already have a map," Flax said.

"Which you left on your rocket," the Prince pointed out. "The same rocket that is currently being strip-searched."

"What?" Kitt shouted. She turned towards the city, looking ready to race back there and save the ship.

"Kitt! The ship will be fine!" Flax yelled, grabbing her shoulder. "Let's focus on the priority!"

"But without a ship we will never get off this planet!" Kitt argued.

"This is the planet with the largest number of coming and going ships," the Prince pointed out. "I'm sure that you all will be able to come up with something." Kitt let out a huff, but calmed down, hearing the truth in the Prince's words.

"So, how are you going to help us on this fine day?" Hex asked, trying to return to the main point of the conversation.

"Here is a map," the Prince said, unrolling the sheet of paper that he was carrying. He pointed at a small peninsula that looked fairly hard to get to.

"What's that?" Arsenic asked.

"It's a town called Honey Mint White Caramel Fudgeflake with Melty Butter and Syrup and Whipped Cream on Top," the Prince said.

"That is quite a mouthful," Flax said quietly.

"It sounds delicious," Hex said dreamily.

"Quite," the Prince said curtly. "The town is home to a fortune teller name Twigadamus who may be able to help you find the Protector."

"Can't you just tell us?" Arsenic asked. "That'd make it so much easier."

"I'm afraid that I haven't been graced with that information," the Prince said. "Only the King knows, and I am not yet King."

"I'm sure you'll make a great ruler," Arsenic said. The Prince smiled.

"And I say the same for you," the Prince said, quiet enough for only Arsenic to hear.

"Is there any other way you can help us?" Flax asked, itching to be on his way.

"Yes. I can get you to the town," the Prince said. "In less than twenty seconds."

"Really? That's amazing!" Kitt said. "How are you going to do that?" The Prince smiled at her and drew his saber, holding it out in front of him. He began to move it in a circle, as if drawing repetitive circles in the air.

"Try not to scream on your way down," he shouted as the wind began to pick up. The sword was going faster now, creating a wind vortex which ensnared the four travelers. The Prince swung the sword down and the wind changed before stopping entirely. Clearly, magic was involved, which is why the wind that had been manipulated by the sword formed a large sphere around the travelers, suspending them in the air. The sphere was still for a second, allowing a view of the Prince waving at them, before it began to roll of the edge of the planet, causing the travelers to scream.

"I told you not to scream!" The Prince shouted over the edge where the sphere had dropped. "Oh well."

* * *

**Chapter done!**

**Yay!**

**Please tell me if I spelled Twigadamus wrong.**

**Thanks,**

**~CatKkit.**


End file.
